Fluminense’s football director, Paulo Angioni, took advantage of an event at the Campeonato Carioca to clarify the situation of the team’s defensive system for 2026, ending speculation and reinforcing confidence in the current group.
Emphatically, the director denied that the club is in the market looking for a new defender.
“Fluminense is not looking for a defender. They are not looking for a defender”, repeated Angioni, making the football department’s strategy clear.
Regarding the possible return of the idol Nino, who currently plays for Zenit, from Russia, the director dealt with the issue realistically, curbing the fans’ excitement.
“Nino is a dream, not a reality. We understand that, at the moment, the club (Zenit) is not thinking about trading him”, he explained.
Another point discussed was the supposed interest of Bologna, from Italy, in defender Juan Freytes. Angioni was adamant in insisting that the athlete would remain, rejecting any possibility of negotiation.
“(About Freytes) No possibility (of being traded), he is a player that Fluminense counts on. There is no possibility of even discussing it”, concluded the director, ensuring the defender’s presence in the squad for the season.
Flu makes its season debut on the 14th, when it faces Madureira in the Luso Brasileiro, on Ilha do Governador. In this game, the expectation is that the club will send a team to the field made up of the kids from Xerém and some names little used last year, like Santi Moreno, for example. JK, who returned to training early, as well as Arana and Jemmes, recently hired reinforcements, can play, but the team that will start the season has not yet been defined.
